ACDE Webinar | To Extract or Not to Extract in Post-irradiated Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer Patients in the Era of Pentoxifylline and Tocopherol

Approximately 50,000 individuals are newly diagnosed with oral and pharyngeal cancer every year in the United States. Most patients are diagnosed at a later stage, thereby warranting the use of radiotherapy either as neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. Recognize that even with advanced radiation delivery techniques such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy and intensity-modulated proton therapy, oral complications such as xerostomia, caries, trismus, and osteoradionecrosis (ORN) still exist. Post-radiation to the oral and oropharynx cavities, patients are prone to developing rampant dental caries that may result in dental extractions.

ORN is the most morbid oral complication of radiotherapy that may be managed with segmental jaw resection and reconstruction with bone flap/graft. The risk of osteoradionecrosis post-extraction in an irradiated oral/pharynx cavity exists for the remainder of the patient’s life. Prevention of ORN in these patients is crucial. Learn more about using pentoxifylline-tocopherol to prevent ORN in post-radiation patients who require dental extractions.